The first deal is with Hubert Burda Media, a German publisher that owns Web and traditional magazine titles. Terms weren’t disclosed, but it’s a very significant deal for Wetpaint in more ways than one.

Most obviously, licensing brings in another stream of revenue to add to traditional online advertising—something that media companies of all sizes are struggling to survive on. That’s a nice addition all by itself.

But here’s what’s even more significant: By selling its expertise in growing an online audience, Wetpaint moves from being just a publisher into also being a technology provider. If you didn’t catch that nuance, the press release hammers it home by describing the startup as “a technology platform company.”

“While the world watched us build this celebrity and entertainment property, we’ve been secretly building the world’s best platform for acquiring audiences,” Elowitz says. “Under the covers, we were very deliberate.”